


Now I Find My Home Inside Your Eyes Wherever You Are

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Who Wants to Live Forever [8]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2014-02-05
Packaged: 2018-01-11 05:40:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1169353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was tired and looked that way.  Right now there was little she could do about that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Now I Find My Home Inside Your Eyes Wherever You Are

Erin was in the cool down position. Her palms were flat on her yoga mat, legs spread, and feet firm. She inhaled a deep breath through her nose and exhaled slowly out of her mouth. Erin rolled her body to stand before stretching her arms over her head. She’d just spent the past forty minutes doing mixed martial arts and yoga. 

It seemed crazy but the moves made her miss Morgan. This was an exercise regimen that he taught her; they'd done it together countless times. Tonight she was alone in a Fountain Hills, Arizona motel room. Well not all alone as Mudgie rested on the queen size bed. They were pretty much life partners now. 

The FBI accepted her PTSD service dog with little fanfare…all of his paperwork was legit. Some of the guys on her team even made him an FBI ID that he wore around his neck whenever they were in the field. It had the Bureau seal, his name, a picture of the Chesapeake Bay retriever, and his paw as signature. Erin thought that was really nice of them.

She moved her left foot up the inside of her right thigh until she was in a near perfect tree pose. Pressing the palms of her hands together, Erin began her transitional breathing again. The knock on the motel door startled her and she nearly tumbled over. She hoped it wasn’t one of her agents; Erin wanted at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep tonight. But Unsubs didn’t care if the people who chased them were well-rested or not. 

Four women had been murdered in six months. Before that nine women had been assaulted in a year. This Unsub was escalating in violence as his cooling off period lessened. Though so far he’d been meticulous, no DNA or fibers at crime scenes, devolution would likely cause a slip up. Unfortunately another women would have to die for that to happen. 

Erin wanted to profile and catch this guy before it got that far. It had gone far enough. Grabbing the towel from the end of her bed, she wiped her sweaty chest and brow before walking over to the door. Just seconds from looking out of the peephole, it crossed Erin’s mind that someone could be there to hurt her. Sometimes, just for little moments here and there, she forgot she now lived a completely different life. 

A few things made the killer at the door scenario laughable. Mudgie hadn’t so much as looked up from his nap. Erin didn’t have sweaty palms, nausea, or cold chills, all of which were an indication of a dark presence. And killers rarely knocked. Rarely didn’t mean never but it was highly unlikely. She pulled the door open; her smiled unexpected but totally genuine.

“Hello.”

“Hi.” Derek Morgan smiled too. “I thought you could use dinner and something to drink. When you work a case sometimes you forget to take care of yourself.”

“You came all the way to Arizona to feed me?” She moved and let him into the room.

“Yeah. There's a great micro-brewery not far from here…the burgers and the beer are pretty good. I found an ale that would suit you. It’s called Immortality.”

“So simple and yet right on the money.”

Erin closed the door, locked it, and followed him into the hotel room. Derek Morgan was the last person she expected to see. It had been seven weeks since they’d taken a break. Erin knew they'd reunite as friends but had no idea when. She asked for a month to get her head right; Derek didn’t object. It had been almost two, but looking at him she just didn’t know if she was ready.

“I know it probably isn’t fair to show up without asking or calling.” Derek said. He put the paper bag and six pack on the small table in the corner. “I'm sorry about that. Respecting your space will always be a top priority.”

“But…?”

“But nothing, I mean that. I just wanted to see you.”

“Where’s Clooney?” Erin asked.

“He's out in the car. I rented a Chevy Suburban at the airport. I love the ride and there's always enough room for my dog and my stuff. I'm buying one when I get back to DC.”

“Are you sure that he's OK out there?”

“You want to know something cool?” Derek asked. “Clooney can open car doors. If he needs to get to me, he will. I'm thinking it'll just be a casual evening. He could use the rest.”

“And you came all the way to Arizona to bring me dinner?” Erin asked again.

“I missed you. I almost said that I was worried about you but the truth is that you can take care of yourself; I knew that. I just missed you. Do you have time to stop and eat?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I'm woefully underdressed though.”

She wore a sports bra and a pair of gray tights. Normally being in that state of undress in front of someone would’ve made Erin uncomfortable, vulnerable. Derek Morgan was more than just someone.

“That doesn’t matter to me one bit.”

“I'm just going to freshen up; I’ll be right back.”

“Alright. I brought dinner for Mudgie too…can I give it to him?”

The retriever looked up when he heard his name and the word dinner. Mudgie hadn’t bothered to acknowledge Derek before that. He was one of the good guys so he doubted he'd have to rip Morgan’s throat out. A nap was more important though he liked him and hadn’t seen Derek in a while. But now there was food involved; that was something different. He looked at Erin, then Derek, and back at Erin again. Mudgie put on the sweetest look he could muster.

“He was a good dog today,” Erin walked into the bathroom. “I think that deserves a burger.”

Mudgie let out an enthusiastic bark as she was closing the door. The first thing Erin did in the bathroom was look in the mirror. She was tired and looked that way. Right now there was little she could do about that. She stripped off her sweaty exercise clothes. 

The shower only lasted about 15 minutes. It was enough time to feel clean. She pulled her hair up, sliding into a pair of sleep shorts and white tank top. Then she went back into the bedroom. Derek relaxed at the table eating a burger. He laid her burger and beer out for her. Erin smiled, walking over and sitting down.

“They only sell 1/3 pound sirloin burgers.” He said. “I got you one with bacon and a fried egg on top. Luckily you just exercised so you don’t even have to worry about the calories.”

“I could give a damn about calories.” She smiled and bit into the burger. Then she opened her beer. “How are you?”

“I'm busy. Actually, I have some business in Peoria that needs to be handled. I have to see a man about a relic. I hope to be back on a plane to DC within 72 hours.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Is what dangerous?” Derek asked.

“The Peoria thing?”

“Doubtful. It’s a quick $5000 though. I refer to these kinds of jobs as ‘wham, bam, thank you ma'am’.”

“Just be careful.” She looked down at the mouth of her beer bottle when she said it.

“I always am. I brought a good luck charm.” Derek pulled the amethyst necklace from under his black tee shirt. “My head is safe as long as I'm wearing it.”

“OK.”

“How are you?”

“Me, oh I'm…great.”

“Good.” Morgan smiled. “I miss your face. I just want to make sure you're alright. I miss you.”

“You said that twice.” Erin said.

“No,” he shook his head. “I said I miss your face and I miss you. Its two different things.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

“Because you said so?” she asked.

“Pretty much.”

“I had a feeling you were going to say that. But you actually said that you missed me about four times since this conversation started so I won.”

“I love you, Erin.”

She gasped when she heard it. Erin put her hand on her stomach, which was suddenly churning and then her chest. There were so many things she could say. She wanted to say all of them but was suddenly unable to form coherent sentences. Her thoughts were out of control at the moment. 

Did he mean he loved her like he loved Penelope? Did he love her like Lindsay, Emily Prentiss, or one of the many other female friends in his life? Did he love her like the sisters he lost in Istanbul a long time ago? Love had too many definitions to be playing with her mind like this.

“I hate you.” Erin mumbled.

“That doesn’t change how I feel. I fought it for a long time…maybe I wasn’t fighting it at all. And then you were gone. I swear I'm not telling you this so you can come back. I want you to be happy and do the things that are good for you. We can do that together but if you're more comfortable then we can do it apart.”

“Why would you tell me if you didn’t want me to do anything about it?”

“Because you deserve to know. You can make any decision you want, Erin, and I will always respect it. But you need to have all the information before you do.”

“I…”

Derek wasn’t expecting her to just fall into his arms and declare her love. He didn’t know what he expected but he missed her, loved her, and Erin deserved to know. The time they were apart was hard on him. When Derek met Erin Strauss he didn’t expect her to become someone important in his life. 

He was going to help her transition from being human to being immortal. They seemed to get along OK; both strong-willed personalities and no nonsense individuals. The sex was off the charts. That shocked Morgan. 

It wasn’t that he thought Erin would be frigid or boring. He just had no idea she would blow his mind like she did. For weeks, months, probably since the day they met, he’d been trying to put his finger on what it was about that woman. Derek still hadn’t figured it out and was starting to like it that way. He smiled as Erin got up from the chair and took his hand. 

“Stay with me tonight.” She pulled him up and into her arms. “Stay with me, make love to me, and feel what words could probably never express.”

Erin kissed him. The kiss was passionate, her body pressed hard against his. They both moaned as they made their way over to the bed. Derek held her in his arms. He kissed her lips, kissed her neck, and lifted Erin’s tank top over her head. His tee shirt came next.

“I missed you so much.” He caressed her face. His lips were still so close to her; Derek could feel her hot breath on his skin. 

“I missed you too, Derek.”

“I don’t want to miss you anymore.”

“I'm right here…I'm not going anywhere.” Erin ran her hand down his naked back. “But you probably should.”

“What?” 

“I don’t think it’s fair that Clooney has to stay in the car while all three of us are in an almost comfy motel room.” Erin said. 

“I’ll be right back.” Derek jumped off the bed. “Don’t move.”

“I was thinking of getting naked and slipping under the covers. Should I just sit still?”

“You're going to be the death of me, woman, I swear.”

“That’s impossible.” Erin shook her head and laughed.

***


End file.
